Biography

Zakiya holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in occupational therapy and has over 8 years of experience working with all ages of children from newborns through adolescents as well as adults. She has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, wellness centers, pre-schools, and elementary schools, home-based therapy, and several private outpatient treatment clinics in India, the USA, and Dubai. She has training in Neurodevelopmental Technique (NDT), Sensory Integration (SI), Kinesiotaping, The Listening Program and Alert program, Handwriting Without Tears (Level 1), Cortical Visual Impairment, and Sensory workshop with King of Swing. She uses a combination of assessment tools and these approaches during evaluation and therapy, custom tailoring the child’s plan based on his or her individual needs. She provides individual and group therapy to children with a variety of diagnoses, including Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy (CP), developmental delay, Down Syndrome, VATER syndrome, handwriting difficulties, behavior issues, stroke, and orthopedic impairments like spina bifida, juvenile RA.

As an Occupational Therapist, Zakiya:

• Helps kids work on fine motor skills so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills.
• Addresses hand–eye coordination to improve kids’ play and school skills (hitting a target, batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.).
• Helps kids with severe developmental delays learn basic tasks (such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and feeding themselves).
• Helps kids with behavioral disorders maintain positive behaviors in all environments (e.g., instead of hitting others or acting out, using positive ways to deal with anger, such as writing about feelings or participating in a physical activity).
• Teaches kids with physical disabilities the coordination skills needed to feed themselves and increase the speed and legibility of their handwriting.
• Evaluates a child’s need for specialized equipment, such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids.
• Works with kids who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills.

Zakiya’s approach looks at the whole child as she uses a holistic approach during her evaluation and treatment sessions. She believes that working with the family is crucial for achieving a child’s goals and helping a child reach their highest potential. Helping families incorporate sensory and motor activities in everyday life to enhance development is important.